In our ongoing arguments about motorcycle helmet laws, I notice that Mr. Blaedel doesn’t seem to support any claims he is making.

Motorcycle accidents involving head injuries cost taxpayers a significant amount of money?

How significant is this amount?

I was recently in an accident on my motorcycle, and it isn’t going to cost anyone else a medical penny.

What makes me really sick is that Mr. Blaedel is making his argument on the basis of money.

Do you want to make health and freedom issues of money?

Motorcycles represent just 2% of the vehicles and are involved in less than 1% of all accidents.

Cagers (car drivers) obviously get into more accidents.

Accidents cost insurance companies money, causing them to raise premiums.

Since this costs everyone money, including motorcyclists, can I use this fact to demand car drivers to get the hell off the road?

Since my last letter, I’ve run across some evidence I can hardly believe.

Data, when correlated correctly, shows that states with mandatory helmet laws have a slightly higher rate of fatalities (2.98) per 100 accidents than do states with voluntary helmet laws (2.9).

Are helmets really as safe as they can be?

By it’s own admission, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has not studied the effects of the weight of the helmet on potential neck injury. We read about studies that air bags can cause more injury in some accidents than they prevent.

In rare cases, helmets have caused fatalities in otherwise non-fatal accidents.

I support preventive medicine; it is the best path to avoiding pain.

But as I said before, helmets do not prevent accidents.

Such a solution prevents nothing.

What we need are better and safer drivers and riders.

I believe that most forms of education try to better the mind, while ignoring the body.

Just the opposite, I think the medical profession tries to better the body, but forgets the mind and soul.

Yes Mr. Bladel, to our health, all aspects of it.

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Jeff Hughes

Senior

Computer science